Just three weeks after his release from a Chinese jail, the shock of imprisonment has left The Straits Times' Chief China Correspondent Ching Cheong feeling 'numb' with little sense of his surroundings. The veteran journalist speaks to E-von Yeung on the ordeal, his fragile freedom, and the blurred line between politics and journalism.

Behind bars in China for more than 1,000 days, Mr Ching Cheong contemplated suicide during his darkest moments, even as he strongly denied the spying charges levelled against him. Back in Singapore for the first time since his release on Feb 5, he was given a warm welcome by his colleagues at The Straits Times newsroom.

In his keynote address at the annual Singapore Tripartism Forum, former Manpower Minister Ng Eng Hen - now Education Minister - reflects on the importance of not 'protecting' workers here through a clampdown on the foreign worker quota and a high wage policy. He also elaborates on the way forward for Singapore's workforce.